What happens one hour after eating a Big Mac?

If you’re a fan of hitting up Maccas for a Big Mac hit here and there (or maybe more) this infographic released by Fast Food Menu Price may make you think twice.

A Big Mac according to the graphic comes in at a whopping 540 calories, however the Aussie version comes in slightly less at 493 calories in Australia. Even at 493 calories it would take the average person 70 minutes of jogging to burn it off. Apparently consuming 493 burger calories also leads to eating even more burger calories as within 10 minutes of consuming a Big Mac, there is release of feel-good chemicals such as dopamine. The same thing that happens when people take illicit drugs. Kinda explains why they’re so addictive, huh?

Along with the food high why do fast food burgers keep us coming back for more? “Foods rich in fat, sugar, salt or are energy dense are often selected due to their high palatability; Studies have shown that high-fat foods are often enjoyed due to their taste, texture, mouth feel, and post-ingestion satiety effects, whereas sugar, or refined carbohydrates can stimulate serotonin release, which has a relatively quick calming effect,” says the Travelling Dietitian Kara Landau.

And those effects are just in the first 20 minutes. Within 30 minutes the high sodium content in a Big Mac is said to spur dehydration which can often be confused for feelings of hunger – which is probably why you want to reach for a side of chicken nuggets even after you’ve just finished an entire burger. And after 40 minutes you can expect your blood sugar levels to be all over the place which in turn causes you tocrave even more food.

Sixty minutes later the body is said to be trying to digest the Big Mac and will do so for another three days. However Landau says, “I am not confident there is any factual evidence to prove the statements made around digestion time, however I think we can all safely agree that the mixture of refined ingredients, gut disturbing emulsifiers, high fructose corn syrup, and more, are simply not a healthy mix to be ingesting.”